86-year-old will not be tried for double-homicide

An 86-year-old man accused of a double homicide will not stand trial at this time — and the husband of one of the victim’s made an emotional statement to the judge about his decision Tuesday.

Investigators said Nicholas Bonelli killed Clarine Smith, 82, who he lived with, and Smith’s great-niece, Sandra Smith Myers, 63, of Seneca, who was visiting her at her Westminster home last November. Autopsies found Smith died of blunt force injuries to the head, and Myers died of a stab wound to the chest.

Investigators said that when he was arrested, Bonelli had cuts and stab wounds that appeared to be self-inflicted.

On March 20, Bonelli was set to enter a plea of guilty but mentally ill, but the judge would not accept the plea, saying he had concerns that the judicial system might lose track of Bonelli in the mental health system.

The judge heard from experts who helped him assess Bonelli’s mental state before he made the decision.

On Tuesday, Judge Cordell Maddox signed an order that Bonelli lacks the competency to stand trial. In the event he regains competency, the charges remain pending.